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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

K-drama leads ‘hallyu’

I am a big fan of Korean drama and Hallyu , how about you? It is quite typical to say but in fact, in India around 1997 Korean drama enter through the medium of "Arirang Channel" but know KBS which reigning the Kdrama lovers in India.

Kim
Soo-hyun, top right, embraces his onscreen love interest Han Ga-in in a
scene from “The Moon Embracing the Sun,” a popular MBC drama.

/ Courtesy of Pan Entertainment

This is the 10th in a 15-part series on the stars and trends of
“hallyu,” or the Korean wave, which is gaining popularity in Southeast
Asia and Latin America. The Korea Times is producing this special
project in cooperation with the Korea Foundation and CJ E&M. — ED.

A variety of soap operas, from trendy shows to epic series, grace the
small screen from morning till night. The popularity of Korean TV dramas
has spilled over the nation’s borders since the late 1990s, igniting
“hallyu,” or the Korean wave.

The biggest hit of the first half of this year is MBC’s “The Moon
Embracing the Sun,” which aired from January to March. Starring Kim
Soo-hyun and Han Ga-in, it portrayed a love story between a fictional
king and a female shaman during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). It
recorded an average viewer rating of 32.9 percent, which peaked at 42.2
percent for the last episode.

Based on the domestic hit, the broadcast rights were sold to several
Asian countries — including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the
Philippines — and reached sales of over 200 billion won.

“Two thumbs up. This drama was so beautiful and I can’t choose words to
describe it. I like everything about this drama such as story, setting,
cast, acting of all the cast was full of intricacy,” a Filipino fan of
the drama said in an online community for Korean dramas.

Song Seung-heon, right, stars in a scene in “Dr. Jin.” / Courtesy of MBC

Hundreds of people gather at such websites to share information and
thoughts on Korean soaps. Though the programs are aired in Korean, they
are translated into English and other languages by fans within 24 hours
and quickly spread across the globe via the Internet.

The popularity of Korean television dramas has become an important part
of the nation’s export along with other cultural industries such as
music, films and food.

‘Love Rain’ sold for 90 billion won

According to the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KCCA), the export of
Korean dramas is on a rising curve from $105 million in 2008 to $107
million in 2009 and $133 million in 2010.

The dramas are profitable but they also promote sales in related
industries and products. The Korea Export-Import Bank Overseas Economic
Research Institute released a report in May that a $100 increase in the
export of hallyu cultural products resulted in a $412 increase in that
of consumer goods.

Lee Young-ae, left, and Ji Jin-hee in a scene from “Jewel in the
Palace,” the television drama that fueled the K-drama wave across much
of Asia.

/ Korea Times file

At the 18th Shanghai Television Festival in June, one of the biggest
East Asian content markets, total sales from export contracts of Korean
TV programs reached around 11 billion won, a 7.5 percent increase from
the previous year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism.

The nation’s three major networks managed to sell the broadcast rights
of shows to various Asian countries including MBC dramas “I Do I Do,”
“Dr. Jin” and “Can’t Live Without You”; SBS’s “Rooftop Prince”; and
KBS’s “Big,” “Man From the Equator” and “I’ll Give You the Stars and the
Moon.” All of the shows exported were produced this year.

Of all the soaps sold abroad this year, KBS’s “Love Rain,” starring Jang
Geun-suk and Girls’ Generation’s Yoona, went for the highest price to
Japan before it even broadcast in Korea. It cost 450 million won per
episode, adding up to some 900 million won in total. The popular program
has been sold to 12 countries in Asia and Europe including China,
Singapore and Malaysia and recorded around 115 billion won in overseas
sales.

Success overseas does not necessarily lead to the same situation in the
country where the programs were originally produced. “Dr. Jin” was
exported to Taiwan and Thailand in June before it ended in Korea where
it only achieved an 8.8 percent audience rating even with famous Korean
actor Song Seung-heon as the male protagonist.

Jung Woo-sung in a scene from “Padam Padam” / Courtesy of JTBC

Cable channels are also chasing major TV networks in overseas exports.
tvN’s “Yellow Boots,” in which actress Lee Yu-ri stars, was sold to
Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia last month. The channel’s popular
drama “Shut Up Flower Boy Band” was also exported to Japan in February.
A number of good-looking actors were cast for the television series
including Lee Min-gi and Lee Hyun-jae. JTBC, a broadcasting company
established by the Joongang Ilbo, is one of the rising contributors as
its dramas such as “Padam Padam” was sold to KLIKSAT, a German cable
network, at the world’s leading content trade show MIPTV in Cannes,
France, in April.

Expanding market

Experts see further growth for K-drama sales as they are becoming more diverse and well-made.

KCCA researcher Lee Yang-hwan said tight plots and strong characters
have made Korean soaps popular both at home and abroad. “The overall
quality of Korean dramas has improved along with their international
popularity. The importance of scriptwriters and producers has become
more recognized,” he said.

Yoona, left, and Jang Geun-suk, in a poster for “Love Rain,” a drama
that was sold in Japan even before it was broadcast in Seoul. / Courtesy
of KBS

However, Lee pointed out that dramas targeting overseas sales by
starring top hallyu stars, such as “Love Rain,” might backfire as they
center on a rather specific market and lack universality.

“‘Jewel in the Palace,’ one of the most popular Korean shows globally,
was sold to some 120 countries, from Asia, Europe and the United States
to the Middle East and South America. When cultural content goes from
one cultural area to another, it has to be universal,” Lee said.

Japan is the largest market for Korean dramas and selling a program
there is more profitable than deals with most other countries, the
researcher added.

He also said it is essential to expand the reach of Korean dramas to
Europe and South America, and that Korean content makers are ignorant of
these markets.

“Hallyu in South America is dominated by K-pop and telenovela is very
popular in the region. Such facts should be analyzed prior to making
paths overseas,” Lee said.

Starring popular singers and K-pop idols or hiring them to sing
soundtracks for the shows could create synergy between K-pop and
K-drama.

Participating in content trade fairs such as MIPTV and MIPCOM would introduce K-dramas further and boost sales.

“MIPTV added new section MIPCube focusing on state-of-the-art media
technologies such as 3D and social networking services. Korea is strong
in cutting-edge information technology and it would provide a
springboard for Korean dramas,” he said.